This Once Lonely Wonderland
by A Little Carefree
Summary: Alice is left alone in a world that died 10 years ago on a mission to find survivors. After encountering a mysterious white-haired man, she is focused on finding him even if she has to bare the truth of what humanity has left behind.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This story has been bugging at me for a while so I had to write it. For those who read my other story, 'let's Play Wonderland' I need to re-write the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the HNKNA series or its characters.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

**Prologue**

_The days where I could just sit back on the soft green grass and watch the clouds were gone. I remember them as clearly as yesterday, however yesterday is not a day I would like to remember._

_Nor the days before it._

_I can remember when the wind used to be soothing and something to cool me down from the hot sun rays. But now all it did was make me shudder and take away what remaining warmth I had._

_The days where I could laugh and run around freely are gone. The days where I sat down and had tea parties with my sisters are gone._

_There was nothing left. I was lonely._

_Oh...so lonely._

* * *

It was just that time yesterday that her sister had passed away. She made sure to bury her under her favourite tree, which had unfortunately withered away with time.

She was alone now, the only one left.

After having stared at the grave for a while, for the shock of losing the last person she loved had left her mind blank, she had finally headed back into her home.

No, it wasn't home. It was just a house full of memories.

So here she was, the following day, just sat on her couch staring at the wall. It was covered in picture frames of her family when they were happy, of things that used to be there but were now gone.

She had never noticed how big the house was until just now. She could hear the creaking of the floorboards and could smell the remaining scent of smoke from yesterday's pitiful fire.

She didn't know what to do anymore.

In times like these she sometimes had to remind herself that she was alive. That she was Alice Liddell and that she was now alone.

Alice decided to head to the study, a place her father used to lock himself inside of to work on projects. The study was actually really large, with shelves crammed with books. The only other thing besides the books was a small desk that seemed so out of place with all the books.

But because of how big the place was it was also very dusty. Alice sneezed upon entering the room, quickly taking her handkerchief out of her pocket to wipe her nose.

She gazed around the room with tired turquoise eyes. This place that she used to think was a maze, was now another room full of memories. Normally Alice would have loved to grab a good book, sit down, and lose herself in the story but now...now it was only something that showed her what she wanted but could never have.

It was then that something caught her eye. On the wooden desk was a small box with a strap. There was nothing special about it, it even looked worn out.

But it caught her attention because that box had never been there before. Last time Alice went in the study was two days ago.

On top of the box was an envelope and written in curly black ink was her name. Alice recognized that writing and it brought sadness to her heart.

That was Lorina's writing.

Cautiously, as if she was being sneaky, the young woman approached the desk and carefully picked up the envelope, as if it would break upon contact. Relief filled her when the envelope stayed as it was.

She ripped it open before pulling out a single sheet of paper. She slowly sat down on the rusty chair besides the desk and began reading the last words from her precious sister.

_**Dear Alice,**_

_**I'm guessing you are reading this letter because I am gone. It must be that because I made a promise to stick by you at all times today. You must have noticed how clingy I was going to be.**_

Alice remembered that for all day her sister had been everywhere with her before she passed away. Most people would have found that annoying but Alice liked it, though if she knew the reason why...

_**I knew it was my time and I'm afraid to admit this but I am cruel. I didn't want to die alone and so it must have been hard on you to witness it.**_

She bit her lip at that.

_**There is so much that I want to say but that's not the time for it. So I want to tell you the important things, to me. Alice, I regret so much but the thing I regret the most is not being a better sister to you.**_

_**I was so caught up with the current situation, only thinking about what we needed but never giving you the time of day. Seeing that smile on your face every day for me made me so happy but I knew I didn't deserve it.**_

_**So please as a last request, leave this house and search for others. Live your life with the remaining few and make wonderful memories like we did. Dying alone is unbearable and I would not wish it on you. **_

_**The box on the desk is for you to take. You may not remember this because you were so young, but father called it a 'Memory box.' It's used to store precious objects that bring memories for you. **_

_**Please Alice...please don't live in the past. Forget about me. **_

_**I love you,**_

_**Lorina.**_

By the time she had reached the last word on the letter, her vision had been clouded. Cold, damp, salty tears fell down from her eyes as she ingested the words, the letter in her hand being on the receiving end of the tears.

She traced her finger on the letter before glancing at the box. Coming to a decision, Alice opened the box and placed the letter inside. There, her first precious item.

After doing that, she lifted the box and noticed to her luck that the strap was long enough for her to put it around her shoulder, like a handbag.

She paused, taking a moment to think about what she was doing. Was she really going to leave the house? To go out into the world in search of other people?

The answer was already there. Of course she was going too; it had been Lorina's last wish after all.

She left the study, closing the door gently behind her. Alice then went to the hallway and picked up her bag, which she kept near the door for when she and Lorina went out. After that, she headed to the kitchen and gazed around it.

This used to be the room where she and her sisters would get into food fights; she could even remember her mother having a fit at seeing the state of the kitchen. A small smile curled onto Alice's face, at least her family was together now.

The kitchen was scarce of food, with most of the food already being past its expiration date. Still, it was food and as her sister told her, all food was edible.

She opened the nearest cupboard to her and looked inside. Besides the cob webs and dust, there was a box of cereals which seemed to still be in good shape. Smiling, Alice reached up and grabbed it, stuffing it in her bag.

Doing the same procedure around the kitchen, Alice managed to also acquire some granola bars, a loaf of bread and a bottle of water. Sighing at the minimum amount of food and drink items, she stuffed them in the bag and then took one more glance around the room.

She was leaving. She probably wouldn't be coming back. Was she really going to be okay?

Off to the side, she saw the mirror. She glanced at her reflection-A young woman of twenty years old with long dirty blonde hair, turquoise eyes and dressed in a blue dress with an apron and red shoes-and judged it.

She didn't know how to fight so she was practically defenceless. She needed something...

And it came to her. In the hallway, besides the coat rack was a circular cylinder box. Inside that box were some umbrellas and a walking stick. She carefully picked up the walking stick and waved it around a little.

Okay, so she could use her grandfather's walking stick, she was sure he wouldn't mind if he knew it was for her defence. He always loved that stick the most.

Again she did a mental check she had her bag with food items in, she had her sister's box and letter and she had something to defend herself. But something was missing...

She slapped herself in head before walking back in the kitchen. She opened one of the draws and pulled out three objects. The first was a box full of matches, the second was a flashlight and the last was some batteries for the flashlight.

Happy about her findings, Alice stuffed them into her bag before heading to the door and sneaking a glance back.

"Goodbye..."

* * *

The world Alice lived in was different from the world ten years ago. In this current day and age, the world was just a rock with grass and water but barely any life.

After an incident 10 years ago, humanity was wiped out leaving only a few to survive. However with barely any humans left, food and water became scarce from not being tended to.

Buildings began crumbling and earthquakes became more frequent. To see even a bug was a rare sight. As well as that, time was just as distorted and seeing the sun was now a myth, the moon was now the reigning king of the dark sky.

This was the world that greeted Alice as she stepped out of the house. She glanced around the open field and judged which way to proceed. The wind around her blew gently, caressing her cheeks. But it brought no warmth.

Deciding to go right, which would lead her to the village centre, Alice took a deep breath before trudging on.

Now that it's only occupant was gone, the house was now like the rest around it. Abandoned and soon to be forgotten.

* * *

She had no idea how long she had been walking. Maybe it was a few minutes or maybe it was hours. Time had no meaning in this world anymore.

Upon arriving at the village centre, she gazed at the mess around her. Thriving shops were now rusty buildings with cracked windows. Some were lucky enough to still have a door.

Cars were tipped over, no longer working. The streets were empty, not a sign of life at all.

All in all, it was a reminder to Alice that she was alone.

Treading through the village, she was deciding where to stop for the night, for the sun was already beginning to set. It was then she heard a sound.

_~Tap~ ~Tap~ ~Tap~_

At first she dismissed the sound but as it kept getting louder and louder, her curiosity grew. So against better judgement, Alice turned to the sound and began walking towards it.

At some point, for she could not remember how long ago it was, she had ended up turning in a direction she was unfamiliar with. It made her nervous and wonder if it was a bright idea to wonder off from what she was used to. But at the thought of finding out where the sound was coming through, she kept her stride.

Turning the last corner, Alice had arrived at her destination and found the source of the noise.

What she saw made her eyes widen.

For in front of her was a large puddle but it wasn't the puddle that caught her attention.

No, it was the man walking through it.

From what she could see, for the man had his back to her, he had white hair and appeared to be wearing a chequered red suit and brown pants. A pocket watch hung at his side, gently swaying as the man walked.

Alice let a gasp escape her which the man froze at and swung around to face her. She could now see his bright red eyes behind a pair of glasses staring at her.

The man's eyes widened before he suddenly turned and dashed away, heading to the subway.

"Huh? Excuse me sir! Please wait!" Alice cried, quickly dashing after him.

She didn't know what she was doing or why but a new feeling she had not felt in a while engulfed her.

The feeling of hope.

* * *

_It was on a day I felt lonely that i first saw you. You may not think it was important, but you gave me hope on that day._

_So I followed you and you brought me to Wonderland because you are my White Rabbit._

* * *

**A/N: **So I hope you liked the prologue. I can guarantee that every character from the series will be featured in this.

Any questions?

**R&R**

**-A Little Carefree.**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Sorry guys that I haven't updated this in ages, I just didn't have an idea how to write this part. Nevertheless, here is the new chapter!**

**Thanks to:**

**SamShamrocks**

**supersushicupcake**

**zombiecake11290**

**Reaper .death**

**Snowlily**-Thanks!

**Devin Trinidad**

**Guest**-Thank you very much!

**North Bear**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the HNKNA characters nor Fragile Dreams-which this story is very loosely based off.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter One**

_I've seen many places along the way but the mall always stuck out to me. As a child I would always be awed by how big the place was to my tiny form._

_But looking back on it, it wasn't that big, was it?_

* * *

She didn't know how long she had been running, but she knew that by now she was surely lost. The mysterious white-haired boy she had seen was long gone from her sight, as if the very boy had been an illusion to trick her mind.

She panted heavily as she stopped, her breath coming out hard and roguish. A little voice in her head kept reminding her of how _stupid_ and _naïve _she was for believing that there was somebody out there in the deserted village. However as much as she wanted to believe the voice, a part of her _knew_ that it can't have been an illusion.

It just can't be.

She glanced around her surroundings, taking in the gloomy image around her. The usual sight of tipped over cars and broken buildings surrounded her however there was something else to.

A set of stairs.

Memories of a lost childhood reminded her of where those stairs went, it wasn't something she could easily forget.

"_My mommy said that I have to hold her hand when I'm done there, she said I could get lost!"_

"_There are so many people! Makes me feel very small!"_

"_It's stinky, I have to cover my nose!"_

"_It's scary…..I don't like it."_

Shaking her head for it was not the time to dawdle in the past, Alice unconsciously gripped her walking stick harder and trekked down the stairs. The further she went down, the more the air felt humid and cold. She shivered as her breath became visible.

Squinting, it became hard to see where she was going. Just as she was about to pause from walking, her foot slipped on the step she was on and the next thing Alice knew was that she falling.

She fell and fell until she landed on something hard, the breath being pushed out of her. She landed on her back, which began to feel painful the longer she lied on it. She stared up at what she presumed was the ceiling for a few minutes, the shock of the fall having parayzed her for a few moments.

She first tried to even her breathing, trying to calm her racing heart. The fact that she was alive was a big enough shock as it is. She then slowly tried moving her arms, which felt sore. Once she managed to place her bare hands on the floor, which felt sticky and wet, she then tried to put pressure on them to help get up. Pain shot through her body, making her cry out however she continued to try and get up. Finally she managed to sit up fully, though she was left with pain throbbing through her body.

She rubbed her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the dark before she patted around herself. During the fall, she had managed to drop both her walking stick and her bag in the process. She tried to see through the dark as to where the bag was but it was no use.

_Drip, drip, drip._

The soft patter of water and the echoing of the area she was in sounded ten times louder then normal to her. The air felt humid and cold, a place she did not feel welcomed in.

Finally her hands felt the familiar softness of her bag and she was quick to grasp it, pulling it closer to her body. Blindly digging through the bag, she tried feeling out the flashlight, which was buried deep under the other items. Eventually her hand felt something round and hard, which she was quick to pull out. She brushed her thumb over the sides of the object, which was long, until she felt something rough that could be pushed upwards.

When she did that, she was met with a blinding light that made her eyes water. She quickly closed them, pointing the object, the flashlight, away from her face.

Taking a moment to wipe the tears that had gathered away, she finally opened her eyes and used the flashlight to take a look in her surroundings.

The area she was in was huge, much more bigger then her house, and made her feel like an insect. The walls looked weak and slippery, looking ready to crumble any moment. The floor was no better, having some huge holes that could lead anywhere in it.

She knew where she was when her flashlight landed on something else. The thing in question was bigger then a car and longer then a lorry.

It was a train that could have seen better days.

She was in the substation, built directly under the village that would lead to the bigger towns. The train itself had smash windows, the doors were hanging off the hinges and the paint was rusted, almost crumbling off the train itself.

She didn't dare look inside the train.

The only thing looked partly in tacked was the actual train tracks, which simply had a lot of muck and grime on it.

The final thing Alice took in the most was all the bags left on the floor, some open and some not. Colours varied from black to dark maroon. Items from the bags were strewn on the floor, forgotten and never to be picked up by their owners again.

Having taken in enough of the area, Alice shakily raised herself off from the floor and tried walking. She stumbled at first, pain shooting through her legs which had cuts and bruises on them before finally she was able to walk, albeit limping.

Her walking stick, which she spotted with the flashlight, was not far from her and she was quick to pick it up, feeling safer with it. Her back was the part of her body that hurt the most, but she would make do, hopefully it will settle down.

From what she could remember as a small child, the subway's other exit led to the mall, perhaps she could gather supplies there.

'_And maybe find that boy…'_

Hopes risen back up, Alice trekked through the mess of memories, now having an idea as to where to go. Along the way, she heard a scrunched noise below her feet. Pointing the flashlight down, her eyes landed on a piece of paper and curiosity getting the better, she picked it up and read the words printed on it.

"_Today was the day that I was going to leave this village. I want to make it big and there's no chance I will if I stay here. Father will understand one day, I just don't want to be a carpenter. There is so much more I can accomplish._

_I'm taking the new subway to get out, no car nor walking needed for me! I have heard pleasant things about the Gottschalk subway after all."_

The Gottschalk subways…that must be where she was right now. She had heard about it in passing, it was made by a genius child apparently, but that was years ago.

Placing the note back down, Alice picked up her pace. Soon getting used to the silence around her. She hummed lightly to herself to occupy her mind before something ahead caught her attention.

Up ahead was a set of stairs, with a set of doors at the top slightly ajar. Hoping it would lead right to the mall, Alice quickly went up the stairs before placing her hands on the door. She gave it a tug however the door seemed to have gathered rocks underneath it, making it hard to move the door. Placing the flashlight in her mouth, she grabbed hold of the door with both her hands and pulled with all her might.

Thinking she should give up, she was about to let go of the door when it finally moved, causing her to fall once again on her butt. She groaned, standing up, and taking the flashlight out her mouth.

She glared at the door before going through into the next room, which she recognized as the mall.

She took a moment to take in the largeness of the area, which had three floors above her and two below her.

"Wow…."

The sound of her voice echoed, causing her to feel a little creeped out. She warily took another step further into the room, before gaining a little more confidence and walked further on.

She gazed at the stores around her, which had shattered windows and some items were broken, lying on the floor. The mall was lightly lit up, the window on the ceiling cast moonlight over the area.

Her first decision was to find a map that was still intact, she could then locate which stories to go to. From what she could remember, the help desk with all the maps was on the ground floor, in the middle of the mall.

Glancing over the rail, she could just see it. With that thought, she quickly went to find the stairs. She was happy to find them near her and began her decent. After arriving at the next floor, she took a moment to pause, before continuing on.

Finally arriving on the ground floor, she walked through the debris and shattered items, the help desk was the only thing on her mind. Surrounding the help desk was what used to be the cafeteria, trays and litter surrounding the area.

Approaching the desk, she stood on her tip toes and glanced around the small desk. From what she could see, papers were littered around on the desk and floor, pens were split, a coffee cup was left alone-the liquid evaporated over time.

It was then she noticed a map, underneath a Walkie-talkie and a tape recorder. Slipping the map out underneath the items, she smiled before her eyes drifted to the tape recorder and Walkie-talkie.

"It wouldn't hurt to have a look, after all I'm the only one here…"

With that said, Alice picked up the tape recorder and pressed play, surprised that something was actually recorded.

"zzz…L-Lord Nightmare, I'm afraid I won't be able to come and serve you any longer. My body…I can't feel it anymore. It feels as if something has froze over it…perhaps, no, I know I have what's taken everyone else. My only regret is not making sure you were fully protected. I'm sorry. Oh and by the way, I know you kept putting my food into the flower pot, I am the one who tended to it after all…zzzz."

The tape recorder fizzled before going blank, haven finished it's message. Alice placed the tape recorder back on the desk, finally catching sight of a key chain hidden behind a pencil pot. She picked the key chain up, which had a pink stuffed kitten and the word 'Gray' written on it and stared.

"This must have been what he left…a poor memory."

She then opened her memory box and placed the key chain inside, smiling sadly. "Don't worry, I'll keep your memory alive."

"…**G-Gray?…Is that you?…It can't be though, you've been dead for a while…."**

Alice froze at the new voice before glancing around her. However there was nobody except her around. Her eyes then landed on the Walkie-talkie, which had a green button lit on it.

Which means…somebody was on the other end!

She grabbed the device, clicked the response button and shakily brought it to her mouth.

"H-hello? Is there anybody there? Please respond!"

When no voice replied, she began to lose hope, but then…

"**Your not Gray…Your not that other fellow are you? No, you sound like a young girl. I'm surprised there's others survivors."**

"Um, my name is Alice Liddell and I was looking for a white haired boy."

"**White-haired boy? Ah, I think I might have saw someone like that on the security tape. Ah, but alas I can't check for you, sorry."**

"What, really? May I ask why you can't?" She asked, excitement filling her that she was talking to another survivor.

"**Ha, funny thing. See, I'm kind of trapped in my office, I can't move the debris. Perhaps…you could help me?"**

"Yes! I will! I'm at the help desk right now, where's the office?"

"**The Help desk? Oh dear, that's on the other end of the mall from where I am. Just keep going up and left. I shall guild you as best as I can."**

With that said, Alice used the Walkie-talkie's clip on to clip it to her dress, securing it.

"Alright then, but do you mind if I get some supplies first?"

"**Not at all, you may need to find some batteries as well."**

Alice smiled before taking a moment to glance at her map, deciding on what route to take. It was then a thought hit her.

"I didn't ask for your name! I'm so sorry!"

"**Ha, it's alright. My name is Nightmare Gottschalk, nice to meet you."**

* * *

_Your voice was warm, it heated me up in that dreary world. You brought guidance and wisdom along, kind of like how the caterpillar brought wisdom for the young Alice. Sometimes when I am alone, I imagine you speaking to me. You are my caterpillar, whom will one day sprout wings and fly away._

* * *

**A/N:** Again sorry I didn't update and I hope you liked the chapter!

**Next story to be updated by Tailsdoll123: Let****'****s Have Fun, Okay**

**Next story to be updated by A Little Carefree: Clock Collecting**

R&R

-A Little Carefree


End file.
